Sheriff, D.A. seek contract extensions with San Manuel

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's Office are requesting that the county extend contracts with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians for policing services and prosecution of crimes that occur on or near the casino.

The Board of Supervisors will consider approving the contract extensions at its meeting Tuesday.

Since 2005, the Sheriff's Department has provided policing service for San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino and surrounding neighborhoods, and the District Attorney's Office has dedicated one prosecutor and one investigator to crimes specifically relating to the casino since August 2010.

San Manuel fully reimburses the county for the law enforcement personnel and services dedicated to the tribe.

The Sheriff's Department is asking that its contract be extended from July 1 through June 30, 2016, in an amount not to exceed $5.4 million. Cost increases would be no more than 10 percent per year, and any increase of more than 10 percent would require Board of Supervisors approval, according to a report prepared for the board.

Under the amended contract, the Sheriff's Department would dedicate to San Manuel one sergeant, seven deputies, one sheriff's service specialist, one office specialist, vehicles and any special equipment needed to sufficiently patrol the casino and the surrounding area on a 24-7 basis.

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Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Bachman could not immediately say what the ratio of sheriff's deputies dedicated to San Manuel compares to the ratio of deputies dedicated to county citizens on a per capita basis, but she did say that all crimes responded to at or near the reservation are treated like any other crimes, and tribal members get no preferential treatment.

"When a call for service comes in, the deputy that responds will treat that just as if they were anywhere else, whether Yucaipa, Victorville or Rancho Cucamonga," Bachman said.

"They're still going to enforce the law, and if there's probable cause to arrest someone, then that's exactly what they'll do."

District Attorney Michael A. Ramos is requesting the county extend his office's contract with San Manuel until June 30, 2016 as well for $1.1 million. The cost covers the salaries of one prosecutor and one investigator dedicated to investigating, filing and prosecuting complaints.

The District Attorney's Office has formed the Indian Gaming Unit and tasked prosecutor Carl LeBlanc with overseeing the cases, office spokesman Christopher Lee said. He said the office files about 400 cases per year, and roughly 180 are felony cases.

"As for patterns, we see mostly crimes related to identity theft, forged credit cards and forged checks," Lee said in an email. "Fortunately, San Manuel cashiers and DPS (Department of Public Safety) Officers are very well-trained at spotting fraudulent documents, which of course makes our job easier."